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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: club · kid · pop · temple · bat · calf · fork · sharp

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. pop — to visit
  3. club — for golf
  4. pop — soda
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. bat — the animal
  8. kid — child
  9. pop — music
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. kid — to tease
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. club — for dancing
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. club — a group
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. sharp — clever
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. fork — in a road
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. calf — a young animal

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com